About Us

The Waddington Brothers, a band of four brothers from rural North Dakota, perform what they
live: music that is real to them, that takes listeners on a journey through the heart of the
American West.

Seth, Ethan, Jacob, and Job Waddington skillfully blend cowboy and bluegrass music, creating
a style that’s timelessly classic and yet refreshingly new and unique. With their rich, stirring
vocal harmonies and instrumental versatility that ranges from hard-driving bluegrass to more
mellow acoustic tones, this quartet has developed a sound that is truly as strong as it is special.
And their gift for captivating an audience comes naturally to these men. Whether they’re singing
about cowboys or cabins, hunting or horseback riding, ranches or Indian reservations, The
Waddington Brothers share heartfelt songs that evoke feelings of warmth, appreciation, and a
genuine connection to the way life was lived by our country’s pioneers.

This group shares their music as a well-polished craft: one that’s been cultivated by four siblings
who have been playing and singing together their entire lives. While their performing experience
together traces back to 2004, the band officially came together as The Waddington Brothers in
2019. Their musical inspiration today is drawn from many pools of influences. Their sound might
be described as a mixture of traditional bluegrass, gospel music, and Western strains
reminiscent of The Sons of the Pioneers. Even more accurately, though, it can be described as
something brand new—something powerfully different—a breath of fresh air to their audiences,
that could only be created by four brothers with such an authentic synergy and blend. And it’s
been proven: in 2023 at the annual SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music
of America) Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, The Waddington Brothers took first place in
the International Bluegrass Band Competition.

Meet The Boys

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Seth Waddington

Seth Waddington is the guitar player, lead singer, oldest brother, and fearless leader of The Waddington Brothers. With five small children to keep him running, when does he find time to practice? The joy of Seth’s life is Rachel, his lovely wife. His hobby is collecting vintage guitars, but it’s such an expensive hobby that he can only afford to own one. He started playing guitar under the tutelage of their father, Caleb Waddington, when Seth was just 10. It was Seth who mentored his younger brothers in mandolin and banjo and encouraged them to practice (if you guys don’t practice I will break your arms, so help me). Nowadays, Seth plays guitar, and he does it with grace and style.

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Ethan Waddington

Ethan Waddington first picked up a five-string banjo when he was 11 years old. When he was 18 he took second place in the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship back in 2009. He also plays upright bass. Ethan handles the booking and public relations for The Waddington Brothers, which makes him the business face of the band—that is, if you can tell him apart from his twin brother Jacob. Together Ethan and Jacob have perfected the skill of building custom log cabins by hand

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Jacob Waddington

Jacob Waddington plays mandolin, and has since he was 12 years old. He also plays the four-string tenor guitar. His first instrument was drums, which shows in his rock-solid mandolin chop. Jacob is also the bus driver for the band, in other words the one who gets the least amount of sleep. One of his recent hobbies has been building fine handmade mandolins. Between Jacob and Ethan, it’s sometimes hard to determine which brother is the smart one and which is the good-looking one. (Only the shadow knows.)

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Job Waddington

Job Waddington is the youngest member of The Waddington Brothers. He plays upright bass in the band and alsosings bass vocals. He plays the chromatic harmonica as well. Job’s passion is old vehicles, and when he isn’t driving one of his fancy old automobiles around, he is wishing that they were running. Job has many interests to occupy his time and works hard helping his father in the family tree-trimming business.

Incidentally, the brothers will tell you that the difference between a hound and a dog is that a hound is a canine with which you go hunting, and a dog barks at you from the neighbors yard.